


All Work and No Play

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, Male-Female Friendship, elizabeth has the patience of a saint, rodney has good friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:57:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9519710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: This isn't the first time Rodney's missed one of Elizabeth's meetings. It won't be the last.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DesireeArmfeldt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesireeArmfeldt/gifts).



> Written for desireearmfeldt's 2016 fandom stocking.

Elizabeth knew that the only way to get Rodney to come to a meeting on time was to promise him food. So she was surprised that 11am came and went and still no sign of Rodney. She tried radioing him but got no answer.

Finally she headed out towards the lab and found Zelenka who just pointed her in the direction of Rodney's rooms.

“Rodney? It's Elizabeth. We were supposed to be meeting this morning?”

Elizabeth had reached reserves of patience deep within herself that she hadn't known she was capable of before she'd come to Atlantis and it was rare for Rodney to tap her out; she certainly wasn't there yet. So instead of walking away she overrode Rodney's security measures and headed inside.

She'd been in Rodney's room before and experienced the organised chaos that was his office, but this was something else.

“Rodney?”

“I'm busy,” he said, from underneath a pile of Ancient tech and enough wires to cover the Earth twice over.

“I can see that,” Elizabeth replied. “Have you eaten?”

Rodney waved to a pile of dirty plates that looked like they'd been there for a few days, plus plenty of empty food wrappers. Elizabeth sighed but knew that there would be no talking to Rodney once he was fixated on something like this.

“Can I help?”

Elizabeth ignored the incredulous expression on Rodney's face. She knew it didn't mean anything, and as a rule no one was quite in the same league as he was. Instead she just stared at him, her own expression open and curious.

“All right,” Rodney said, suspiciously, as if Elizabeth might be playing some sort of prank on him. “Come here and hold this.”

Elizabeth did as she was told without complaint. Rodney continued to look suspiciously at her until she smiled.

“Why don't you tell me what you're doing as you work?”

“You don't want me stop? I thought we had a meeting.”

“That can wait,” Elizabeth said. “Clearly you need to get this off your mind first. Whatever it is.”

Rodney's suspicious look turned more grateful and Elizabeth wondered how often they forgot that Rodney needed company, even if he never let himself admit it. Rather than worrying about that though Elizabeth set herself in for the long haul. She never failed to learn something from Rodney and she hoped over time he'd learn a little bit from her too.

“You're sure about this?” Rodney asked, one final time.

Elizabeth shrugged. “You're my friend.”

Rodney's smile was worth the next five hours of sitting on the floor in his room, holding up wires and following only a quarter of the science Rodney threw at her.

Well, more or less.


End file.
